You can get the Samsung Chromebook 2 in two configurations — an 11.6-inch model ($319), which is the same size as the original Samsung Chromebook, and a 13.3-inch model ($399) for people who want their Chromebook to be more of a laptop replacement. We nabbed ourselves the 13.3-inch model right when it came out, and we gave it a thorough review to see whether it’s a worthwhile upgrade. At the end of the review, you’ll be able to enter for a chance to win one!

Competitors

Regardless of the manufacturer, Chromebooks use the exact same software, so this battle is all about the hardware. For the price, the Samsung Chromebook 2 has pretty good specifications (Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5800 2.0 GHz processor, 4 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz SDRAM, 16 GB SSD, 802.11ac) that stacks it up nicely against its competitors. The 13.3-inch model Chromebook 2 has to compete with the $267 Toshiba CB35 Chromebook as well as HP’s $290 Snow White Chromebook 14). Both of those models are cheaper, but by spending more money for the Samsung Chromebook 2, you’ll get a better screen resolution, a faster processor, more RAM, and a much lighter computer. The constant in this scenario is the screen size — roughly 13.3 inches. If you’re looking for the cheapest Chromebook to do the job, then the Toshiba CB35 might be your best bet. But just because you’re getting a Chromebook doesn’t mean you have to make sacrifices when it comes to the internals.

Packaging

Inside the box, you’ll find the Chromebook, a few booklets to read (or throw away — it’s simple enough to operate), and the charger. Nothing else is included, and doesn’t need to be. Simplicity and the “let’s just get to work” attitude is palpable here.

At 12.72″ x 8.80″ x 0.65″, this Chromebook 2 is even thinner than a 13.3″ MacBook Pro Retina, and it weighs in at 3.06 lbs. Wireless 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 are included, so you’ll be future-proof for a while. You’ll have 16GB of storage, which is a bit low but sufficient for any temporary downloads, considering apps run directly within the Chrome browser. Of course, Google always suggests that you download to your Google Drive, which is built-in, where you’ll receive 100GB of storage complimentary for two years.

Display

The display on the 13.3-inch model features a crisp 1080p resolution. With 1080p, you can expect crisp text and all-around goodness that comes from such displays with densely packed pixels (165 PPI). Even the viewing angle is superb, which is something some Chromebooks seriously lack.

There is an issue, however. I’m not sure if a 1080p resolution in a 13.3-inch screen exactly qualifies to be considered HiDPI, but at 165 pixels per inch, it’s a pretty high resolution for that size, nonetheless. That being said, you may find yourself squinting a bit at the normal 100% zoom level. This can be fixed by changing the zoom level (which can be changed permanently by going in the browser’s settings), but it only fixes webpages and not the Chrome browser user interface elements such as buttons and the address bar. Since ChromeOS is based on Linux, and the Linux version of the Chrome browser doesn’t have any HiDPI support yet, I believe that is why this issue is occurring. When the Chrome browser receives HiDPI support for the Linux version at some point in the future, it should be resolved.

Performance

Performance is splendid. The Chromebook 2 has an octa-core ARM-based processor manufactured by Samsung, which includes four larger cores clocked at 2 GHz and four smaller cores clocked at 1.3 GHz. This configuration allows the Chromebook 2 to use the bigger cores for more intensive tasks to reap performance benefits while the smaller cores are for simpler tasks to save power. Playing a video on YouTube, which uses HTML5 and hardware acceleration, was no match for the Chromebook 2 — it only got a little warm even with its lack of fans, so no legs were burned during my testing.

Webcam and Microphone

The 720p webcam is more than enough for Google Hangouts and the like. The camera quality is what you’d expect — sufficient for the job so you don’t really have any complaints, but not spectacular. The dual-array microphone is also decent, so the person you’re speaking with can hear you clearly.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Whenever I come across a budget device, such as Chromebooks, I often have to complain about the quality of keyboard, the trackpad, or both. This is not the case for the Chromebook 2. The keys on this device are spaced comfortably far apart so that you won’t hit other keys by accident, and they even offer a little bit of concavity. The keys also had a good amount of spring to them, so it was a surprising joy to use.

The touchpad is not nearly as solid as the MacBook Pro’s trackpad that I’ve gotten accustomed to, but it’s still a very good one. It’s pretty large, yet it’s very sensitive and capable of understanding the right input. For example, it actually registers two-finger right-clicks well, instead of just moving the cursor a few inches across the screen.

Speakers

There are two speakers, rated at 2W each, that are located near the edges of the Chromebook but facing downwards. The speakers themselves aren’t actually bad! They don’t provide an ear-opening (get it?) experience, but they sound pretty dang decent and even have a little bit of bass. Because of their downward angle, they do get a bit muffled at times, depending on what kind of surface you place the Chromebook on. I do wish that the speakers would face up rather than down, but it’s not too much of an issue.

Battery Life

Samsung estimates the Chromebook 2’s battery life at 8.5 hours, and I have to say that that number is pretty spot on. Of course, you won’t get that by playing YouTube videos at full brightness the entire time, but a good mix of tasks at medium brightness will get pretty close to 8 hours. For mobile warriors who are constantly on the Web, this Chromebook — with its 4700mAh lithium polymer battery — is a very good choice.

Conclusion

Overall, I really like the Samsung Chromebook 2. The bigger screen, higher specs, good battery life, thinness and lightness make it a fantastic companion. I can’t say whether it’s a true laptop replacement. The hardware is certainly good, and ChromeOS has received plenty of refinements since it first debuted.

Anyone who would like to use a Chromebook while on the go and still be productive with offline, desktop-grade apps should have a secondary system that they keep at home. However, for a Chromebook, this one is a very, very good buy.

Our verdict of the Samsung Chromebook 2:MakeUseOf recommends: Buy — it’s one of the best Chromebooks currently out there!810

The Winner

Congratulations, Diane Vescio! You would have received an email from jackson@makeuseof.com. Please respond before August 9 to claim your prize. Enquires beyond this date will not be entertained.

This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, July 4. The winner will be selected at random and informed via email. View the list of winners here.

Send your products to be reviewed. Contact Jackson Chung for further details.

I wish that Makeuseof would write more reviews of larger chromebooks (13" screens). Also why does every chromebook seem so alike? Why aren't there more white rather than black machines?

The reason I ask this is that (for me, personally) I find that white keyboards with black lettering are more easily readable in dim lighting, and since (AFAIK) none of the 'usual' chromebooks have back-lighted keyboards...

Furthermore, USB 3.0 has been around for quite some time now, so why aren't manufacturers offering machines with both (or more) USB 3.0 ports?

I don't have a lot of in-hand experience with chromebooks, but from reviews I've read so far, this sounds like the best choice. Battery life being most important to me, design is too, and this one looks great.
So I guess that makes this one my favorite.

The Samsung Chromebook 2, definitely. Stylish, portable, great size! Thank you for the chance to win one!! :) Good luck everyone! Even if I don't win one, this is definitely going on my wish list, thanks to this amazing review! It is a true piece of technology bliss!

I have an ACER Chromebook and LOVE it! THe battery life is awesome, it is lightweight and so portable. I did have to get used to using the cloud, but once I did I LOVE it! THe speed is awesome and well, just about everything I do with it is fun. I am entering to win one for my son, he keeps stealing mine! Thanks guys!

The combination of ARM processor and 1080 display is a winner.
The battery life of this little machine will beat any Windows
laptop and has enough life for me to get a full day's work in during
power outages - better than anything else on the market, even at
twice the price.

I love using Chrome rather than Windows and any Chromebook would be most welcomed! I saw an HP turquoise one at WallyWorld that looked really cool, but the Samsung appears to have just the right size, weight and battery life while being very intuitive to use. Sounds like a win-win!! Thanks for the fantastic giveaway, MakeUseOf!

I love that compared to your Galaxy tabs this has the actual keyboards. I have tested a few and I prefer the Chromebook too. Purely because of the weight but also the better storage. The lack of storage or usable storage on the others is frustrating. The keyboard is also slightly easier to use without fingers fumbling over each other.

I hope to have like this one so I can tell you that this Samsung Chromebook 2 is the best. Base on its appearance, I love it, and features - I wanna try it. I know Samsung is the best even a technician from Dell told me that.

Toshiba Chromebook, HP 11 Chromebook are the two I have researched and liked. In addition, after reading this write-up, this Samsung Chromebook 2 is right there with the two I have researched. Nice unit that would fill our needs, capable and a nice battery life. Thank you for the excellent write-up.

I haven't actually been sold on the idea as of yet. I have a Samsung Tab 2 10.1 and to me that's about the same thing. Still, Chromebooks are starting to mature and I wouldn't mind checking this one out.

Never had one but I like Samsung as a reputable manufacturer, Asus tends to put out durable products, so I'd go with them too... I PREFER the one that you will give me when you select me as the winner. :)

I've had and used an ASUS Netbook for years, and I've purchased some ASUS laptops for work. I tend to like how the ASUS design engineers think, so I'd probably lean towards an ASUS chromebook as my favorite -- maybe the C200 -- although I'd want to try out the keyboard and take a gander at the screen before I'd buy one.

I still have an ancient laptop from the early 2000's but would love to have this Samsung Chromebook 2 with the extra RAM, faster processor etc. and lighter weight but with my budget would definitely have to win it to get it!
otherwise going with my budget in mind I would probably go with Toshiba CB35 Chromebook for the cheaper price but rely on my PC as my main computer for storage etc.

don't know if I have a "favourite" chromebook but so far I've been leaning towards the Acer C720 because it has a model with a 32G SSD, that's double the usual 16G at a very compatable price of 229.00-234.00 us dollars...but this one has it won hands down in the screen resolution category, the other categories are merely preference based....but overall this would be the sleeker lookin' device...

I have no idea which Chromebook would be my favorite as I've never owned nor tried one out. But, from the specs and this one being a Samsung product (I'm an owner, and admirer, of Samsung products), I would have to say that the Samsung Chromebook 2 would be the one .

Not really sure which is my favorite, don't own one yet. However, I do own and Google tablet and phone, and have been extremely please with these. If they are anything like these, I'm sure it is a quality product. Specs look good and have been seriously considering one to replace my aging Asus tablet.

I've never used or touched one so hard to say I have a favorite. But I am very interested in owning one. After looking at them online I like the Samsung model as the Asus doesn't have as good of ratings. But the jet black color is my favorite.